


Let's Meet Each Other At Midnight

by yujaewin



Series: NCT Gods AU [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Shy Lee Taeyong, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-11-12 20:48:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11169813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yujaewin/pseuds/yujaewin
Summary: Gods can't be seen, but they can walk beside us, they can't be heard, yet they listen to everything we say. Youngho is God of the Sky, Taeyong is God of the Stars, and yet, they have never once seen each other.





	1. Chapter 1

I loved looking at the stars, they shone so brightly across the miles and miles of vast, endless sky. When I was first made a God, I had looked at these stars on the night of my crowning and now it became a yearly event, to stand here and watch them glide across the midnight black, into the early morning hues of brilliant oranges and faded pinks. But I wished to know who created them, who made the patterns which littered my sky? Filling them with wonder and devising stories of which the humans had told for millennia. 

"Youngho, I'll take watch from here, you need your sleep." A young boy named Donghyuck, a Lesser God and one of my apprentices stepped forward from the shadows. I nodded, my gaze falling short of his eyes and I retired to my home: a small, glass house that lay beneath the clouds. Pacing around the corners of the bedroom, I came to a conclusion. I must find the person that created the stars, my mind couldn't rest until I did so. That person made my job into a beautiful one, it left me speechless and in awe of just how fascinating the night could be. So it was decided then, I would go and find the one who made the stars.

Sneaking away from Donghyuck's perilous gaze, I pulled on my coat, becoming invisible to even the most powerful force. The jacket was something of my own creation, just like you couldn't see black cats in the night, I disappeared into the world, walking among humans without them knowing I existed. 

The city was freezing cold, the only source of warmth emitting from the small shops I passed. The stars were still there, although dimmed by the blaring lights of skyscrapers towering above me. I felt small, insignificant in the crowds of merrymakers, it must be Christmas time, the smell of cinnamon hung heavy in the air, proving my point. Perhaps other Gods were here, blending in seamlessly with the masses, dancing through the streets and joining the festivities. Walking past a couple, who shared a steaming, plastic cup of soup, I jumped into a shadow, moving on from this place to the next.

Having ended up in an inky black forest, I crunched through the pines. From here, the stars were giant and glowing, painting a picture of hope in my mind. Was I close to him yet? Carrying on my journey, I met creatures from the woodland; a ginger fox who stalked me for a mile before running off in search of prey; two small owls, wings delicately swooping into the darkness and then I heard the crackle of a fire and the snapping of twigs, and I ran.

People say Gods don't experience emotion, because their job is to observe and change, not to connect. But I truly felt human in those moments, my heart giddy like a child's and my smile ever-growing, reaching my eyes. The clearing I entered was oozing with a sense of comfort and home, in a way that you couldn't quite pinpoint. An amber flame rose through the center of the space, illuminating a boy who sat there, his back hunched and hands rubbing together in desperation.

Wandering over, I perched next to him, taking off my jacket maybe too quickly. The boy staggered away from me, fumbling into his pocket and taking out a crystal bladed knife, that’s when I knew it was him.

Legend has it that the stars were cut from crystal, the fine pictures they made, positioned with perfection and the precision of a craftsman. Supposedly that man was stood here in front of me. I held out my wrist to him, placing it under the moonlight, three lines of shaded blue were etched into my skin, a symbol of my status and his knife was placed back in his jumper and he shuffled closer to me.

His eyes were so beautiful, a darkened green surrounded by ivory white and his eyelashes were thick and long. The strands of hair that fell on his face were pure black, and made his features look pale, like the clouds on a summer’s day. He was wearing a traditional tunic, made of wool but it was strangely paired with a bright blue pair of converse, the laces drooping onto the grass.

My outstretched hand, a sign of peace, was offered to him and he gladly took it, a small smile tugging on his lips. “I'm Youngho, God of the Sky… Are you - by any chance - Taeyong, God of the Stars?” The boy nodded, shuffling anxiously and wriggling his hand out of my firm grip. I wanted to squeal in excitement, it was him, it was really him. A bombardment of questions flew from my mouth so fast that I couldn't decipher it now, but then, it was the raw adrenaline that had caused my sheer delight.

After a minute of ceaseless, one-sided, rambling I looked up to find the boy glancing at me nonchalantly, trying to bite back a laugh. “Was I… Was that too much? I'm sorry, I get carried away sometimes.” Taeyong just smiled in response and I wondered why he was yet to answer me. 

“So why do you live here, alone?” The clearing was nice, yes. But it was isolated and hard to find, only forest creatures roamed here. Where I lived, you couldn't go for a peaceful walk without bumping into a rowdy character or a daunting crowd of Higher Enclave workers (the name for demi-gods who got annoyed when they were referred to as such). Taeyong hesitantly patted the log he was comfortably sat on and I joined him, my shadow casting over his small body. 

The boy looked straight into my eyes and I heard a faint noise in the back of my head, somewhere beyond the confines of my consciousness. I slipped into the sound, closing my eyes and found myself drifting along with its ever changing tones. The sound began to echo, creating a melodic hum and finally, a voice was heard, clear as the crystal of Taeyong's knife and soft as the colours of a winter sunrise.

“Wow, your mind is pretty full of stuff huh?” The voice chuckled, a mellow laugh with notes of innocence and naivety. “I can't talk to you normally and telepathy is harder than you think. I've never been able to speak, the stars are so hard to manage that the elders thought I had no need for a voice. It sounds sad, but honestly, it's never been an issue.” I felt the speaker's grasp on my mind flicker slightly, the connection dwindling and Taeyong's gaze was pulled away from my own.

I focused back on the boy’s face, beaming at him with a wicked grin, I’d found the person I’d been looking for - personally, I’m glad he wasn’t a psycho. “Have you lived here, since you were crowned?” The thought of him living here in solitary loneliness was enough to make me sigh in annoyance. Our hierarchy had been flawed for millennia, but leaving a God like this, was more than cruel - what were the elders thinking?  _ Probably not a lot, their brains are much too simple to think. _

The foundation of our Godly System lied within the Elders, not Gods or Goddesses, but rather something more powerful that decided everything, including Taeyong's inability to speak. Beneath them lay the God's, the immortal beings, crowned by the Elders inside a building known as the Higher Enclave. Finally, there were lesser Gods and Half-bloods, both of whom kept the Enclave and other immortal gathering places in check and safe. We'd lived like this since the dawn of time, it was unfair, but it looked unable to change.

Taeyong had managed to remove a notebook and pencil from his woven bag and started to write an answer to my question. His jottings were clear and etched into the paper with short, uniform strokes. 

_ I was never crowned, I was put here from the moment I was fabricated. I've heard of crownings, of the trainings you receive but I never experienced it myself. In fact, you're the first person, immortal or otherwise, I've ever met. _

He looked at me as I processed his words, my thoughts tumbling over each other in my mind. How could someone like him, be so normal after being kept away like this for so long? I couldn’t comprehend the thought and chose to ask him, he answered with a simple:  _ You learn to cope with it. _

“Would you like to leave, for awhile, I mean - only if you want to.” I took a deep breath, holding it and looking at him awkwardly. The whole forest seem to silence in those seconds in between the question and the answer, but his whole body was screaming at the thought of freedom. You could see it in the way his hands clenched and mouth turned up at the corners, in the way his eyes sparkled and he wrote with instability but still careful to get his message across clearly.

_ Yes. _

Standing up, I held out my hand, legs itching to race off at any given moment. His hands were tiny in my own, small pale digits with grubby nails from the forests’ dust hung in my large palms easily. I began my fast paced hike, Taeyong dragging behind me slightly. I had no idea of where I was going to go with him, but he needed to escape the confinement of the woods.

The fox from earlier caught up to us again, making Taeyong jump in surprise. Halting, I bent down to coax it over, it's fur glistening softly in the pale light of the moon seeping through the evergreens. I brought Taeyong's hand over my own, making him stroke its head and the fox bowed in response. The boy smiled with ease, the fox nudging his hand but I knew we must be moving along. Staying in one place would cause a ruckus, the Elders could find out I’d left, I needed to go.

“Come on Taeyong… I’ll show you where I work.” I grinned at him, slowly edging towards a shadow, kneeling and twisting my hand, it wisped around my fingers, black smoke curling from my skin. Taeyong yelped in shock, “Don’t worry, I’ve done long distance leaps before. Trust me.” He nodded with hesitation as I stood back up again. We both took two steps forward uniformly as if fate had pushed us to do so, then I let my mind take over and fell into the void. The darkness enveloped us both as we shot through the nothingness and I almost lost Taeyong’s grip had it not been for the sudden jet of air, clawing us back to reality.

We found ourselves in front of my house, the sky now an array of colours, dawn was breaking in pinks and yellows today, the sun poking through a scattering of clouds on the endless horizon. “This… This is my domain…” I beamed, echoing the rising of the sun. The simply ethereal beauty of what I ruled over was enough to bring anyone to their knees, especially when viewed from a balcony hundreds of miles above the earth. Taeyong’s hand rose to cover his mouth and he let out a quiet gasp, his eyes glistening. Racing forward I laughed at the rush of wind bringing me towards the edge of the balcony and skidded at the marble railings. When the world was so beautiful, why stand still when you can enjoy it whilst moving onwards and upwards?

Taeyong’s small form ran after me, arms outstretched, little feet tripping over each other. I stopped and he bumped into me, his face scrunching as it impacted with my chest. “Cute.” I whispered, guiding him next to me so we could observe the magnificent sunrise together. Taeyong shook his head,  _ not cute _ , he mouthed, pouting a little. I just smirked in response, humming. 

But unfortunately, peace in the God’s domain was a rare and almost unknown word. Laborers began to wake up, groaning at the sun piercing their gazes, Gods were also about, moving to and from houses, greeting people and attempting to look official. “We should stay out of sight before someone discovers you.” Whipping my head round, I saw Donghyuck’s figure move towards the balcony, conversing with Renjun, another one of my apprentices. Ushering Taeyong away was easy, the two younger boys caught up with joking around - which I would chide them for later. 

Pushing Taeyong through my door, I heard him sniffle, wondering if he was ill. But no, he was crying.

“H-hey… What’s the matter?” He grabbed his notebook and began to write.

_ I want to belong here and live with you, why did they not let me stay here with all the other Gods? What makes me so different that I need to be hidden away from you all? All I’ve ever known is trees and log fires and stars, never what you have. _

Without thinking I embraced Taeyong, the hug projecting every peaceful emotion I had onto him. Even though I knew I shouldn’t be, I was resentful towards the Elder’s, they’d made a God forget what it meant to be loved, Taeyong had never known feelings like that in the first place, it was disgusting. “Don’t worry, we can figure something out, even if it means meeting up in secret, I’ll find a way.” Taeyong nodded against my chest, his hair hiding his gaze as he looked up at me, cheeks reddened.

Someone knocked on the door, thrice, causing the both of us to jump in surprise.

“Hello? Who is it?” I ushered Taeyong to go into my room and he scrambled off, as I began brushing down my shirt and straightening my collar. The voice replied with a stern tone, “This is Taeil the Elder, please open your door for the routine inspection.” My eyes widened,  _ oh no. _

“Just wait a second, I’ll get changed and come out.” With a shaking voice I turned around to go to my room, I’d completely forgotten about the inspection. It happened annually, just so they could check our home was accommodating to our needs. Taeyong being here would probably be violating at least half of the points on their checklist, so I scarpered to get him out.

“Taeyong you need to go, I promise I’ll visit you soon don’t worry…” I hastily created a shadow on the ground, helping Taeyong to prepare himself before watching him sadly jump inside, his light touches on my palm still feeling real. Pulling myself back to reality, I went to answer the door, Taeil forcing his way inside as if he knew I’d been hiding something.

Taeil was the newest Elder, promoted from his position of God of Animals because he’d surpassed such power and he himself, was greedy for more. His demeanor resembled a cranky gentlemen at the head of a business, sharp and strict and unwavering in intimidation - even though he was shorter than me. He made his way over to me, pressing a finger against my chest, his eyes like a snake’s about to attack it’s prey

“Where were you last night, there was a meeting among the Gods and Elders, you and that stupid God of The Underworld didn’t show up and I want to know why.” His tone was deadly serious, not an inch of affection laced his words and it made my throat dry up, unable to so much as spit a word out. Time seemed to stop then, Taeil no longer blinking or moving, just waiting for an answer.

“So? Where were you?”

“Asleep! I was asleep. Donghyuck said he’d take over so I had an early night.” My answer was plausible, albeit a little rushed and blunt but plausible all the same. Taeil let out an exasperated sigh, a sign of defeat and went to leave, waving me off and slamming the door. I collapsed onto my arm chair, exhausted but also excited at the prospect of meeting Taeyong again, it felt so right to be with him, so normal as if we’d known each other for millennia not a matter of hours.

I hoped and prayed that I’d see him soon, knowing that I needed him by my side to carry on and so I could protect him. The world of the Elders was harsh and cruel and if we had to defy that to meet each other then defy it I would.


	2. Chapter 2

_December 2nd 2081, two days since the first meeting_

_The light is slowly waning throughout the days, the time I spend awake seemingly longer because of the night being extended. It was almost the shortest day, the time where I could spend all of my energy creating a light show for the world to see. Youngho hadn’t returned, his promise fading bit by bit, but I had faith in him and in the end that was all that mattered. This journal was made so I could once again record everything, but not for discovery this time, but because my life was exciting, my life now has a meaning._

_I hope that me and Youngho can understand each other, I hope that our feelings can rekindle what little love I had. My thoughts are so jumbled whenever I’m around him and my heart beats loudly and for a reason I can’t quite describe, I love it._

Setting down the journal my eyes peered back at the constellations, Orion was in full view tonight, the North Star shining back at me too. Jumping up from my bench I started to light a fire, I didn’t need to rub two twigs together anymore, I harnessed the powers of the stars and stars were, you know - big balls of gas. I shot out my hand, a flicker of light bouncing into the pile of wood and igniting it, the flames waltzing and making a shadow of my small frame.

My feet were adorning a pair of army style boots, heavy and dark, contrasting with my hair which was a snowy white. The shoes hit the singed grass, that was fading in colour, a light frost was sure to arrive soon.

Suddenly a strange tingling sensation hit the drums of my ears, piercing the silence with unfathomable poignance. My head whipped round on impulse, excitement prickling under my fingertips. Biting the inside of my cheek, I got up, wandering around and gazing in every direction, the fox, which had tottered around since I first returned back had stopped still beside me, could he sense it too?

“Taeyong?” A faint, deep whisper, like the unfurling of ocean waves in the darkest night, reached my ears and the euphoric feeling in the pit of my stomach returned. The voice called a few more times, edging closer until Youngho’s tall frame appeared as if he’d fallen from the inky sky, he was disheveled and heaving his breaths as if they cost him a day of his immortal life. Waving him over, I threw my arms round his waist, burying my head into his leather jacket and he chuckled in response, hugging me back.

“Long time no see… Well if we’re counting two days as a long time?”

I pretended to be angry, nodding my head in response and glaring into his dark eyes, that only garnered another laugh from Youngho who went over to sit down by my small fire. “I know you’re not angry, if you were I’d be running away and screaming.” A smile erupted on my face as I skipped over to join him, Youngho’s backpack was opened and he handed me a small loaf of bread and cheese to feast on and I accepted the gift with open arms.

A light breeze began to pick up as we silently huddled close to each other, the elements coming into play when Youngho finally opened his mouth to speak.

“Would you mind if I started visiting more often, I want to see you and be with you and teach you about the Gods?” My eyes grew wide and I nodded enthusiastically, clapping my hands to show my excitement. Youngho nodded and hugged me tightly, resting his chin on my head. We stayed like that for a few minutes, occasionally looking up to the stars as I pointed out constellations, Youngho naming them absentmindedly.

It was calm, serene but for some reason, my heart disagreed. The blood was rushing through my head as the rhythmical beating was thrown into disarray, Youngho made me feel like I’d never experienced emotions before, everything was new and exhilarating. I loved it.

After hours had passed and the sun was beginning to move upwards through the wisps of clouds, Youngho arose from his sleepy daze. The fire had long since spluttered out, the remnants of the bread, now only crumbs, it was homely and familiar, yet completely new at the same time. The parting was simple, done without words from either of us, an embrace said all that was needed and Youngho disappeared into the shadows once more.

Visit after visit was then made, conversations made over paper and Youngho’s careful tone, my heart had never once ceased to burst at the sight of him and I was reduced to a bundle of emotions. However, after a few weeks, I began to notice something rather odd. The stars seemed to be just out of my control, they began to ignore my commands, some did not even appear at all. It wouldn’t have been a problem had the humans not begun noticing, fretting that something was wrong in the deep darkness of space.  
Today I was awaiting Youngho’s visit, on the day the humans called Christmas, he was to bring me a present and we were going to celebrate. But when he finally arrived, three hours late, he was no longer alone. People flanked him on either side, their uniforms a crisp ivory with gold embroidered into the seams, I cowered at the sight of Youngho in chains, his wrists bound with vile metal. If I could scream, there would be no better time to do such a thing, but I was helpless and submitted to the armoured men and women without a struggle.

“Taeyong, God of Stars, you are under arrest by order of the Elders for failing to follow the High Enclaves rules of staying in isolation at all times.” The words were simple, but they felt like a poisonous venom, spat in my face and left to slowly kill me. Letting them drag me away, I tried to grab the attention of Youngho but he refused to meet my gaze, his eyes having previously cried tears - obvious from the red flush of his face and puffy cheeks.

Youngho was forced to create a portal and I was pulled through, arriving at the land of the Gods once more, but this time I was faced with a different setting. It was an official looking building, walls high and made of marble, the windows reflected light and I was forcefully pushed from behind and made to keep moving forward, through the gates and endless rows of soldiers. It was intimidating, terrifying for someone like me. I had never experienced such a place before, a place with such authority and power.

“Taeyong, come this way.” A woman with shoulder length hair and a demanding aura grabbed my wrist, taking me away from Youngho as he was shown into a small room and I was placed behind a glass window, looking in on him.

I gazed at the woman as if to say - “What’s going on?” And she just shook her head.

“We are taking away his memories, he must not remember you for your job to work properly. If you don’t exist in his life then everything will resume its usual course and the stars will once again return to the night. You had almost ruined everything with your selfish desires for company and someone to turn to, you cannot have such things Taeyong. You must be alone.”

Her last sentence rung in my ears as I began to cry, tears rolling down my face - hot and painful. Words could hurt like a knife through the heart or the sting of a thousand nettles. But knowing that you had ruined everything, rendering your closest companion with such a punishment scarred me and made me pummel to the depths of self loathing. Why would they do that? Why not take my memories? Youngho had only come to me out of interest, I had made him stay, I was the real villain here.

Youngho sat down on a metal bench, his chains removed as a man arrived, placing his hands on Youngho’s head and chanting some unknown language - a spell of some kind. I refused to look after the reciting had finished but the deep sighs of relief told me all I needed to know, it had been successful and I had been forgotten.

The man before me was one that now did not know me, his eyes glazed and unmoving as he strode forward and away from my shaking figure. I was taken, thrown into a portal, landing back in my realm with a thud as I collided with the cold earth, dirt flying in all directions. I did not get up, not wanting to face realities so I simply lost myself in memories of me and Youngho, when we were free and blissfully ignorant of any troubles.

There was a time when he threw a ball of snow at me - for fun - we played such a game for hours upon end until the snow had all but melted, leaving dewy grass in its wake. Or the time when I first tried hot chocolate, the beverage sweet and scalding on my tongue, Youngho had explained all about the food of the world I had never seen, his eyes sparkling as he rambled. It was in those enchanting moments, time slipped away and I realised just how much I had fallen in love with the man I once thought would never come to exist in my life. Youngho was like the cherry blossoms, not always there but such thoughts of his being would bring unwavering, euphoric emotions to life. I wished to see him, but now, the Elders had destroyed my last hope, my last joy in this harsh state of being.

Now there was nothing but me and my darkened thoughts, tainted by all I had just witnessed. I had been so naive, too naive for such a cruel world I should’ve known I existed in. Trudging back to my small hut, I wrapped myself in all my blankets, sleeping and sleeping until it became normality, the stars no longer glistened, they were just there now. Like me, they had no purpose other than to conform and be there to push around when necessary.

My life had been torn, ruined and pushed to the brink. But there was nothing I could do, I was completely under the control of those I hated. The only choice now?

Rebel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry about the long wait, I actually wrote the majority of this chapter today because of a sudden burst of inspiration, I hope you enjoyed it and as you may have noticed, the next part will be the last. But this is a series, so don't worry too much, the story line is going to continue and I will be doing a Markhyuck fic next :)


End file.
